Face Off: Should Schools Continue to Teach Handwriting in the Digital Age? – Young Post

Handwriting, the art and skill of writing by hand, has evolved over thousands of years. Due to rapid technological progress, it is logical that the school curriculum adapts. However, this may mean that specific ‘outdated’ skills, such as handwriting, may become obsolete.

Although complex handwriting, such as cursive, may not be essential in school, basic print or block lettering is used in the teaching of most subjects. Pressing buttons on a keyboard can join the intended words together, but you won’t learn how to write out the letters themselves.

The exams that Hong Kong students take in their final year of school, whether for the Diploma of Secondary Education or the International Baccalaureate, must be written by hand. Most students will not have the choice to use a computer at such demanding times, so schools should teach them good handwriting skills.

Writing by hand is not only a requirement for most exams, but also a fundamental skill for most popular fields and everyday tasks. For example, writing prescriptions as a doctor, taking notes as a reporter, or grading papers as a teacher all require motor memory and speed, which are honed by the practice students receive.

Although many adolescents prefer typing for its speed, studies have shown that it is much less stimulating to the brain.

According to Dr. Sophia Vinci-Booher, assistant professor of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt University, writing by hand requires more brain power than typing. This is because your brain must continually process letters that you have written down as soon as they are formed.

Research also shows that handwriting strengthens connections between brain areas, including memory and processing power. This means that when taking notes and preparing for tests, writing by hand boosts your fine motor skills and helps you remember information better than typing, according to an article in Science News Explores.

Computers aren’t going away anytime soon, so typing needs to be taught and learned. However, writing by hand is something that younger people may not want to master voluntarily. That is why schools must continue to teach writing skills in addition to typing and digital skills.

Students may ultimately prefer one over the other, but they must be given the opportunity to make that choice.

Should Hong Kong schools continue virtual classes during weather-related school closures?

Against: Patrick Chum, 15, Winchester College (UK)

Patrick Chum studies at Winchester College, UK. Photo: Handout

With the rise of technology, many schools have adopted computers and tablets. Mine, for example, has followed the trend and we mainly work on laptops. As a result, students – and society as a whole – type more and write by hand less.

It begs the question: should we continue teaching handwriting in schools?

An important part of handwriting is cursive. Students learn cursive during their foundation years, spending hours practicing the way they write rather than understanding the topics they are writing about.

For younger children, whose fine motor skills are still developing, it is very difficult to learn to write in cursive. By focusing on writing in a rigid and strict form, children cannot develop their handwriting naturally and writing becomes a hassle.

The time spent teaching handwriting in school could be used for other more relevant topics and pressing issues, such as climate change or current affairs.

Italics in particular are irrelevant and should be phased out to make room for more important topics. Handwriting is a rarity, and printed style text is more common within handwriting. With the rise of computers, typing is increasingly used in our daily lives.

So why should we still teach a fancy form of handwriting if no one writes at all, let alone cursive?

As printed text becomes more common, only some people can read cursive, which is often messy. Typing is simply more convenient and efficient.

It is not that schools are afraid to stop teaching subjects once they become outdated. It is difficult nowadays to find a school that teaches students how to use typewriters or floppy disks. Most readers probably have no idea what those devices are and would probably be surprised if they were included in a school lesson.

Now that handwriting is no longer relevant and there are more crucial digital skills to learn, it makes sense for schools to spend their limited time, money and resources elsewhere.

In conclusion, I believe that the handwriting is outdated, obsolete and excessive. We need to refocus our limited time in school on more critical and essential issues, and adapt our curriculum to include newer subjects and skills that have become more common.